Max HeyraudMassive Attack have said members of their touring party were detained and questioned by Singaporean authorities following the group’s July 29th performance at the Star Theatre, where they displayed a Palestinian flag and joined audience chants of “Free Palestine.
In a statement shared on Instagram on August 2nd, the Bristol band said police detained the entire touring party after the concert, with members reportedly detained for questioning. The group also said some members had their hotel rooms searched and their passports temporarily confiscated while authorities carried out the investigation.
“We were surprised and disappointed that our entire band was detained,” the group wrote. Massive Attack also said they had not expected that “merely holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognised by 157 countries would violate any law,” adding that they were “proud” to have made what they described as an impromptu expression of solidarity with fans in attendance.
The band also said: “We are proud to have made this impromptu expression with our fans in Singapore who clearly felt a moral imperative to show solidarity with the people of Palestine in their ongoing reality of illegal occupation, apartheid, & genocide, & we salute their courage in doing so.”
Two unnamed group members were later issued severe warnings by Singaporean police for allegedly violating regulations governing political expression at public gatherings and the public display of foreign national symbols. Additionally, police announced that the two had been prohibited from returning to Singapore and that Massive Attack would not be permitted to perform there in the future.
Singapore has imposed strict restraints on public political expression, saying they are necessary to maintain racial and religious harmony. Authorities have previously taken action against pro-Palestinian demonstrations and warned against public displays over the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
Massive Attack ended their statement by thanking concertgoers in Singapore and calling for more protections for freedom of expression. The band is continuing its world tour and will be playing Australian dates after the Asian leg wraps up.
